Grey Line Between Friend and Foe
by Akiko Toshika
Summary: Charlotte Grey, a new student to X Middle School, has some issues with the school and isn't about to let them forget it! UPDATED:Chap. 2
1. Chapter 1

**_Grey Line Between Friend and Foe_**

Mrs. Honnichi stopped mid-sentence as the classroom door creaked open.

"You must be Miss Charlotte Grey; you're half an _hour_ late, care to explain yourself?"

The sound of chairs scrapping the ground filled the stuffy air in the classroom as students craned their necks trying to catch a glimpse of the new student. Their curious stares were met by a piercing blank one as they took in her appearance.

Limp black hair was kept off her face by a camouflage bandana. A few strands that had managed to escape the bandana fell down to frame her face. Her eyes were a piercing gray and a small, white diamond stud winked at the students from her nose. Her mouth was upturned in a lazy smirk. The bandana disappeared from view behind her ears that were decorated with studs; three in the lobe and two silver rings in the cartilage of her right ear and three studs in the lobe of her left.

Slung around her neck was a pair of dog tags that met the top of a black tank top that read, 'Math is my favorite subject...my foot plus your ass equals good times...care to try it?' in hot pink letters. The tank top touched the top of a pair of baggy camouflage pants that were held up by a studded leather belt. Her pants overlapped her combat boots, to drag on the floor.

A watch hung on the wrist that belonged to the hand that clutched the strap of a brown satchel that was slung across her torso. The other wrist was bare of any jewelry and in her hand was a crumpled sheet of paper.

Charlotte looked down at the sheet of paper she held before turning her gaze to the teacher, "This room 304?"

"Yes," Mrs. Honnichi said with a hint of exasperation, "what took you so long in getting here?"

"Got lost?" Charlotte shrugged, her tone implying her reply was more of a question then an answer.

Mrs. Honnichi's brows furrowed but she didn't press the matter, "Care to take a seat?" Charlotte shrugged nonchalantly and sauntered over to an empty desk by the window. She removed her satchel and let it fall to the floor as she collapsed into the plastic chair.

"May I continue now, Miss Grey?" Mrs. Honnichi questioned angrily.

"Whatever," Charlotte muttered. As the teacher droned on, Charlotte paid little attention as she surveyed her surroundings, her photographic memory taking it all in.

The rows of eight desks, the cabinets that lined the back wall, the blackboards that lined the front, the windows on the left, and the teacher's desk situated in front of the blackboards and the door on the right. It was a very standard classroom, and the whole situation bored Charlotte to no end. _When can we start?_ Charlotte found herself wondering as she tuned the teacher back in. "I want you to paint the nature scene you have selected after you sketch it out," Mrs. Honnichi was saying, "the color of paint I want you to use is a color, or group of colors, that to you express your prominent emotion or your life. You may now begin."

Charlotte quickly got to work, whipping a pencil and drawing paper out of her satchel that lay slumped at her feet. Lightly Charlotte sketched the outline of what was to become a master piece. That done, she fetched some paint from one of the art supply cupboards. Charlotte took her time choosing the paint and chose the colors carefully.

Seating herself back at her desk, Charlotte opened the gray, black and white paint containers before drawing her own set of brushes out of her satchel. Charlotte spent all period tinting and darkening, and painting her master piece that was due at the end of class. With five minutes to spare, Charlotte was done.

The painting that lay before her showed the tremendous talent Charlotte had for art. The sun was setting over a trio of rolling hills, which slowly sunk into the ocean and a multi-shaded sky served as the picture's back drop. The whole scene was done in various shades of gray, ranging from nearly black to an off white. At a casual glance the painting would have actually appeared to the observer as not a painting but an enlarged black and white photo.

Mrs. Honnichi, who had just moments before announced time was up, was moving around the room from desk to desk, observing her pupils' work. When she got to Charlotte's desk she was stunned at the beauty and show of talent that lay before her. Mrs. Honnichi moved her eyes from the painting to Charlotte, who currently was leaning back in her chair with a pair of buds stuffed in her ears, blaring music. _Surely she couldn't have...could she?_

"Miss Grey? May I have a word with you after class?" Mrs. Honnichi waited a moment but received no response. Angrily she tapped Charlotte on her shoulder, drawing her attention.

"Yea?"

"May I have a word with you after class Charlotte?"

"Whatever," Charlotte replied before putting the bud back in her ear. Moments later the bell rang, drawing Charlotte out of her trance. Charlotte rounded up her items and satchel, stuffing her mp3 player back into the bag as she approached the teacher's desk.

"You want?"

"Miss Grey," Mrs. Honnichi began, "did you, or did you not paint this?" She asked, holding up the painting.

Charlotte looked confused, her brows slightly furrowed, "Ya, I painted that."

"Are you lying to me, Miss Grey?"

"No," Charlotte frowned.

"Have you ever taken art lessons?" questioned an impressed Mrs. Honnichi.

"Naw, my parents don't believe in art lessons," Charlotte glanced at the door, "how much longer is this gonna take?"

"Just a moment Miss Grey, then you can go. I wanted to ask you if you would be interested in joining the art club. You see, you have a tremendous talent, and I believe the art club could help you to expand that talent even further. The art club is an after school club that is sort of like free art lessons and I thi-"

"No," Charlotte said bluntly.

"Won't you just think about it, Charlotte?"

"Not interested, we done?"

Mrs. Honnichi lowered the painting onto her desk and sighed in defeat, "yes Charlotte, you can go now."

"Later," Charlotte said, heading for the door and sticking a bud back into her left ear. Striding down the hall, she made her way to her new locker.

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Ingrid Third looked up from her desk as her partner, Cornelius Fillmore, entered the office.

A smirk settled on her features, "made it just in time for the Introductory Ceremony, I see."

Fillmore frowned, "that's today?"

Ingrid's smirk spread into a grin, "yes, it is. Though surprisingly, it's being held during lunch...unlike when I came to school and they held it in the morning. Poor kid, whoever he is, I'd hate to be the one up on the stage."

Fillmore nodded as he took a seat and rummaged around for his unfinished paperwork.

"I still don't see why we have to do this _every_ time a new student comes to school...personally; I think it doesn't give the student a good impression of our school. Folsom does have a point though...it does get the gummering over and out of the way for the Newbie."

Further debate was cut off by the intercom crackling to life, "All students report to the Auditorium immediately, the assembly is about to start."

Standing up, Ingrid grabbed her backpack from its resting place on her desk.

"Come on, Fillmore, we should get going, don't want to be late. Later we are, the longer this terrorization will draw out for the poor soul who decided to join X Middle School."

A dry laugh escaped Fillmore's lips as he got up and followed his partner out of the X Middle School Safety Patrol Office.

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Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FILLMORE! OR IT'S CHARACTERS...THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I WILL SAY THIS!

A/N:

Well, there are a few basic things to cover. Those being that this is not a Romance (though I do love F/I stories) and that Ingrid, Fillmore and any other characters from Fillmore! by Disney, will seem very out of character. Sorry about that. Also, any suggestions on things to happen in the plot, tell me! I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this yet, so any input is great! Postings will also vary, and probably be infrequent...o yea, and the chapters will get longer as soon as I have more things to write about...

Till next chap!

-Akiko


	2. Chapter 2

Charlotte frowned as she peeked out onto the stage where Principal Folsom stood, waiting for those assembled to quiet down. _What exactly am I doing here?_ She wondered, clearly not happy. _She picks me up directly after art class in her little go-cart then drags me all the way down here, ignoring my questions and telling me that I will find out soon enough and that we must get to the assembly. What's with that?_ Curious, she watched as some students walked down the isles, selling what appeared to be Styrofoam balls for 50 cents. _What could those be for? _She wondered, forgetting momentarily her previous anger.

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Ingrid shook her head no at the offered Styrofoam balls, "No thanks."

The kid turned to Fillmore, who just looked at them, "Dawg, are you crazy? I'm on duty." The kid merely gave him a weird look and shrugged.

"How long does this usually take Fillmore? I don't really remember how long the assembly was when I came…"

"It all depends. There haven't been any new kids for a while, so really, everyone's pretty eager to see this one…so this assembly could take longer then usual. Ingrid groaned. For once, the normally attentive girl was tired of putting up with school. "We've got Library Card Duty after school too…." She muttered.

"What's this? Ingrid Third looking forward to Library Card Duty?" Fillmore teased; attempting to cheer his friend up and get her mind off whatever was bothering her.

"Fillmore," Ingrid rolled her eyes, yet couldn't resist letting a small smile form.

"Just checking all the facts," was his only reply, a cheeky grin on his face.

All conversations dulled as Principal Folsom began to speak, "Hello students of X Middle School!" The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles at the mention of their beloved school. "Today, there are a few things to cover before I introduce the new student…" Groans cut into her speech. Furrowing her brows, Folsom impatiently waited until they died down before she continued.

Ingrid tried to focus on what Folsom said, yet she couldn't help herself, her mind began to wander. Where exactly had she left that paper work this morning? Had she remembered to take out the trash? Such questions began to plague her mind, demanding immediate attention. Finding more amusement in reorganizing her usually ordered thoughts, she paid little attention, dealing with each thought as it came and counting on her photographic memory to help her remember the details of any events that occurred.

Fillmore shifted uneasily. He couldn't help but notice the restlessness of his partner, who sat beside him, her green eyes not focusing on Folsom who stood center-stage, but staring off into space. _What's she thinking about? Some boy? _He thought doubtfully. Somehow, he just couldn't picture his partner drifting off to day dream about some boy, it just wasn't like her. Chancing a glance over at Vallejo, he noted that Vallejo barely seemed to be paying attention either. _Looks like everyone's a bit restless today…come to think of it, I've had a strange feeling that something isn't going to be exactly right today…_Shrugging, which earned him a quick glance from Ingrid, Fillmore tuned Folsom back in.

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Charlotte tapped her foot impatiently, her boredom growing rapidly. "Man, at this rate, people will be living on the moon before I figure out what's going on. What does 'introduce the new student' mean anyway? She's been talking about the 'no running in the halls policy' for the last 10 minutes! Surely they get the message," she grumbled to herself. Pacing back and forth, Charlotte heard some voices just around the corner.

"Sure glad I'm not the new kid…" One voice said. His statement piqued her interest, and she crept closer to listen.

"Yea…I mean, who wants to have Styrofoam balls thrown at them anyhow? I wouldn't do it willingly, even if they are soft. It's so degrading!" Charlotte frowned, her mind starting to piece together a picture she didn't quite like.

"That's probably why they don't tell the new students about it…" speculated the first voice.

"Yea…that has to be it," the other voice agreed.

_So that's your game_, Charlotte narrowed her eyes. _I don't think so. This assembly won't work out as planned if your walking target doesn't show up, now will it Folsom? _Charlotte, despite her appearance, wasn't one for making trouble, but she wasn't about to stand around and be a human target. Glancing around, she made sure no one was around before she made her quick exit out the back door that conveniently was placed nearby. Shading her eyes from the sunlight, Charlotte glanced around. "Now…if I was looking for a nice thing to paint…where would I go?" Whistling a little tune, Charlotte set out on her way, wandering the campus grounds.

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"…and now, the moment you have all so _patiently_ waited for," at this point in her long winded speech, Folsom shot a pointed glance at a few select individuals whom had decided it would be fun to practice their aim in her general direction. "I will now introduce you to the new student…" The sound of rustling clothes could be heard as students sat up taller, all intent on being the first to give their welcoming. "…Charlotte Grey!" While all students readied their Styrofoam balls, Ingrid was jolted out of her mental wanderings.

"Fillmore," Ingrid hissed, looking to her partner for confirmation.

"Yea?" Fillmore asked.

"Did Folsom just say, 'Charlotte Grey'?" An emotion Fillmore couldn't quite distinguish was mirrored in her normally calm eyes.

"Yes…why?" Fillmore couldn't help but be curious about why Ingrid seemed to care so much about the new student's name.

"Oh…no reason," Ingrid said lamely, "I heard the name wrong at first, and I wasn't quite sure if I heard it right. If the name had been what I first thought it was, then the new student would have been my cousin. Since it's Charlotte _Grey_ though, she's not my cousin."

Fillmore just gave her an odd look before shrugging, "ok…whatever you say."

Further conversation between the two was cut short when Folsom returned to center stage, fuming.

"Charlotte Grey, make yourself present on this stage immediately!" Folsom ordered. After waiting a few moments and receiving no response, and seeing no sign of the new girl, Folsom flung back the curtain to reveal an empty stage.

"Where is she!" She shrieked. "Assembly over! Vallejo, report to my office immediately!" Folsom ordered before storming out.

As the group of disappointed kids broke up, Vallejo approached Fillmore and Ingrid. "Looks like we've got another assignment on our hands," he said with a tint of frustration, "new kid must've found out somehow about the ceremony and decided to split…and now we get to deal with the mess and Folsom this kid left behind."

"Dawg this bites," Fillmore commented, looking around the rapidly emptying auditorium.

"Well, we had better get back to class, and you better get to Folsom's office before she gets too impatient," Ingrid suggested, edging her way to the door, intent on leaving. Sighing, Vallejo bid them goodbye and began collecting himself as he made his way to the office.

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"Vallejo! I want this girl found! The press will get wind of this in no time, and if her parents find out I've lost her on the first day, I'll turn your office into a Yoga studio and personally dismantle the Safety Patrol for good! This is nothing to be taken lightly, we've lost a student, and we have no idea where she is! Find her!" Folsom continued to rant until her face was red, and her hair was a mess. All the while Vallejo sat there calmly, waiting to get a word in.

When her tirade was over, Vallejo spoke calmly, "I'll have my best people on it immediately. I understand the urgency and this case will be bumped to top priority, I promise."

"Good," was the begrudged reply from Folsom, signifying their discussion was over.

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**A/N:** Been a while since I've updated…but here's the next chapter...and again, the wait for the next chapter could be a while, since I am working on an original peice (which I'm hoping to have published) over on fictionpress. com. Nothing exciting in this chapter and I'm sorry about the OOCness of the characters. I'm not very good at writing Fanfics…this being my first one and all. Well, now I shall explain why this most likely won't be a romance and why there will be no pairings of any sort. While I love F/I pairings, I can't write romance, even if my life depended on it. I would totally wreck the pairing for myself if I tried it, and I don't want to do that. So please, understand that as a fellow F/I pairing lover, I don't want to trash the pair with my unacceptably horrible writing skills. Hope you'll like the story and continue to read anyhow….thanks and till next update,

Akiko


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